Gina is a lovely 75-year-old lady that loves golf and gardening. She’s been wearing orthotics since 2017 to help keep her feet comfortable and supported, so she doesn’t develop avoidable foot pain from the way her feet naturally sit.

50-year-old Ella first came to see us with pains under her heels that had been troubling her on and off for five years and progressively worsening over the past 12 months.

Our podiatrists are very excited to welcome Performance Physiotherapist, Stuart, to the Optimise Health team. Despite the different areas of expertise between podiatry and physio, the close working relationship with our physio team in the Optimise Health centre means we are always learning from each other.

We first met 36-year-old Stephanie when she had just finally returned to running again after recovering from plantar fasciitis.

Laura is a healthy and active 55-year-old woman who recently transitioned into cycling from her repertoire of outdoor activities, including running and touch football.With a previous injury to her right knee that was causing her ongoing niggling pain, Laura wanted to focus on cycling to give her knees a break, let them recover, and help prevent her injury from continuing to cause her pain - or new injuries developing.

If we had a dime for every time we heard that one! While the appearance of toenails isn’t something our patients traditionally come in for solely (unless they have a fungal nail infection or other problem), these are comments we hear every day while helping our patients with their feet.

This week we had a mum bring her 12-year-old son in who had been experiencing growing pains in his heels for four weeks. She just wanted to know if there was anything we could do to help her son feel more comfortable at school and during his soccer.

Every week we get at least 20 men and women with fungal toenail infections. Some come in specifically for this problem, as it’s now causing them discomfort and they hate the way their nails look. Others come in for other pains and aches, and then casually mention their infection too.

Recently, we had a mum bring her 14-year-old son in for the third time for the same problem: an ingrown toenail on the inside of his right big toe.

If pointing your toes upwards and moving your foot up on the ankle has become difficult for you, you could be suffering from foot drop. Whether the problem has developed suddenly, like following an accident, or has been worsening over time, being unable to lift your foot means you may have difficulty walking without your toes hitting the ground, which puts you at risk of tripping and falling.

We’re very excited to introduce a very special range of nail polish that isn’t like any others available on the market - the Dr’s Remedy range. We love this 40-colour range, not only because it’s formulated by podiatrists to do all the right things by your nails, but also because they weren’t designed with the ‘create a product for the sake of it’ approach employed by many beauty brands.

Varicose veins are a common condition here in Australia, with worldwide prevalence rates estimated to be around 25%. While some people go decades without mentioning the presence of prominent veins to a healthcare practitioner, there are known dangers associated with prominent veins that can make it a concerning matter - both cosmetically and medically. Today, we thought we’d shed some light onto varicose veins, what exactly they are, how they appear - and whether you should be concerned.

You’re lying in bed, resting, feeling great… and all of a sudden your foot starts *scrunching* up like a claw and leaving you in agony. You try your best to move your foot into different positions to ease the pain. 90% of the positions don’t work, but you find one that gives you a little relief… so you hold it.

If you’re getting seemingly spontaneous waves of burning feelings in the feet - or if burning feet are keeping you awake at night - you’re definitely not alone. It can be quite alarming to feel unusual sensations that seem outside of your control - especially when you can’t pinpoint a specific cause or trigger.

Almost one million Australians currently have osteoporosis, with one in four women aged over 75 years being affected. As this condition skyrockets your vulnerability to bone fractures and associated hospitalisations, it’s important to understand why and how osteoporosis develops and who is at risk. Today, our podiatrists have shared all of this and what you can do to help protect your bone health if you develop osteoporosis.

Every 15 hours, a child in Australia is born with cerebral palsy (CP). CP is currently the most common physical disability in childhood, where the signs become evident within the first 12-18 months of a child’s life, and the effects are life-long. When it comes to the feet and legs, CP can significantly affect a person’s mobility and independence.

You have a specific joint along the middle of your foot called the Lisfranc joint. In simple terms, it’s where the long bones of your feet (metatarsals) meet your tarsal bones that are present in the third of your foot closest to your ankle.

Feeling pain at the front of your ankle when you try to point your toes and foot upwards?
This is a classic indicator of an anterior ankle impingement. Simply speaking, this occurs when the resulting space between your bones at the ankle as you point your foot up is very small to the point that it pinches or irritates tissues, tendons, vessels or other structures.

We’ll admit - sometimes, particularly during certain sporting seasons, we could swear that ‘pulled hammies’ are the most common injury given how many walk (or specifically, limp) into the clinic here at The Podiatrist!

So you have - or suspect that you have - a torn meniscus. But what does this really mean - and more importantly - how long until you can get back to feeling great and not having a painful knee? Today, our podiatry team is talking about meniscus tears, recovery and what you can do to stop it happening again.

Simon is a 20-year-old university student. He has been playing basketball since he was 10 years old, and is now on his university basketball team. He trains three times per week and goes to the gym frequently, too.